I spend a lot of time out on these trails so I thought I would share some sites you can’t see from the road.

This is a waterfall found on the Piety Hill Loop. It can only be seen after we have had a really good rainfall when all the seasonal creeks are flowing, so you probably won’t be able to see it this year. To see this fall you would want to park at the Horsetown trailhead, head across the street. The entrance to trail is right at the end of the bridge next to the Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve sign. You head up the steep hill until you come to an intersection. If you go left you will head clockwise on the Piety Hill Loop, however go straight (counter-clockwise). When you head straight it will take you down a hill, when you start heading down just look straight and slightly to the left out across the gully, you should see this waterfall if it is flowing.

If you continue down the trail, you will go up another hill, then when you start heading down again you will come to that seasonal creek that makes up the falls. If the water is really flowing you may need to get wet to cross it, otherwise if it is barely flowing you can usually step on rocks to keep dry (Hey BLM how about you put in really big rocks, a culvert or bridge? Pretty Please!). Continuing on if you go straight at the next intersection you can follow the seasonal creek all the way up and see little falls along the way.

These next couple weeks I am planning on doing reviews on just Kong products. As a chewer, Kong products are usually on the go-to list when looking for new toys.

How best to start off this series of Kong, but with my first Kong. That’s right, mom kept it! What better for a puppy than a pacifier aka Kong Binkie. Now this Kong is designed for puppies because it is a soft rubber that normal chewers would decimate in short time. Since this is a softer rubber and puppies are chewers make sure you do supervise the little tikes, afterall we grow so fast and it’s only a matter of time until this soft rubber is too soft. Not long ago Anderson Vet Clinic posted to their Facebook page about a chunk of Kong they had to remove from a dog that tore one apart and swallowed.

So here is a picture of mine, you can’t really see it but there are a bunch of teeth marks down at the bottom which was mom’s cue that it was time to get an adult Kong toy. The real shocker is how I didn’t chew off the handle, what was I thinking. But that does bring up a bad side of this toy, I can see that handle coming off with baby chewers and being eaten, so once again SUPERVISE US!

Pros:
Great for puppies
Gives pups something positive to chew on
CUTE!

Cons:
The handle could be a weak point to chew off and swallow.

Recommend:
Yes! But only while supervised. Actually I would recommend the classic shaped Kong Puppy over the Binkie for safety reasons. If you go with the Binkie make sure you watch the wear on this toy, once you start seeing good teeth marks, its time to take it away because it wont be long until that handle is gone.

For Christmas 2012 mom found us one heck of a deal. Horseloverz.com had a deal on doggie blankets, they were just $5 so Mom figured why not, for $5 they could always be used to wipe paws. Guess what, We love these! They are nice quilted blankets that are fast and easy to put on when its cold outside. Although they are not waterproof we will slip them on if it is drizzling or there is a freak snow storm out just to keep warm. Trey loves his so much Mom doesn’t bother to un-velcro the front-chest, she just holds his blanket by the back end so the neck hole is at his level and he runs at it, sticks his head through the hole and Mom just drops the blanket on them. When he finally stops, she velcros the chest (straps that go under) and he is out the door. Now I am not that excited, but I will admit I stand in line for mine on those freezing mornings (I am such a California girl).

Pros:
Fast & easy to get on
Keeps a dobie warm during Northern California winters.

Cons:
Not waterproof, but I didn’t expect it to be.

Recommend?
Yes especially if you can find them on sale again. Right now they are $16, which is still a really good deal, but if they ever have them for $5 again (was actually $10 BOGO), we are getting more!

Here is a little secret about the Clear Creek Trails (at least I can’t find any info on it). If you go to the “Clear Creek Gorge Overlook” trail head and go north on the trail (left from the parking lot) you will hit a series of fitness stations spread out over approx 2 miles. These stations are labeled World Trail and they all are for getting you humans fit. Although up pups can’t use the stations it sure is fun watching you humans try. But honestly us pups just enjoy getting out and the bonus is the trail has lots of access to Clear Creek for taking a dip in the summer.

With these short winter days there is not always enough daylight for a good game of fetch after Mom and Dad get home from work. If you love to play ball this is your winter time answer, the MeteorLight K-9 LED Dog Ball. This thing is so much fun!!!!!!! Have your Mom or Dad turn it on and throw it, it stays lit up with its color changing LED lights making it easy to find at night. Mom and Dad say it is funny playing when it’s pitch black because all they see the ball go out, then they see it floating back to them. The amount of oohs and ahhs you get when camping is enough to keep me playing ball all night.

Pros:
Allows nighttime play
Waterproof
Durable (no sign of wear or tear with two dobies fighting over it)
Size of a tennis ball, so it works with tennis ball throwers
Battery lasts a long time
Bounces (not as good as a tennis ball)

Cons:
One time Dad went for a hard bounce on cement and battery popped out
Can be hard to turn on/off (Mom just steps on it with her heel)

Recommend
YES YES YES, if you love playing ball this is a source of evening/night entertainment.

Suggestions to Manufacturer:
Make more LED toys! Maybe a Frisbee or other fetching toys? I WANT MORE!!

You humans are so SLOW! Mom let me carry the cell phone in my backpack and turned on the GPS. You won’t see much of a difference in the map when you compare it to my human Mom’s GPS track because it’s a 4 mile track and I am good about staying on the trail, but check out the amount of time I have to spend stopped waiting for my Mom! Come on now humans, you really need to learn to use those front lets you call “arms” maybe it will help you move faster!

Take in mind these are 2 different days but same route, also on Mom’s track we had to stop for horses and other dogs but on my track we only had to stop for water.